In commercial baking, batters and doughs are often formulated by the hundreds, if not the thousands of pounds. As with any food product, doughs and the resulting baked goods have organoleptic properties which are based upon the dough formula, thorough mixing, uniform distribution of dough components, and uniformity of physical properties within the dough. Uneven or a lack of full mixing may affect taste, texture, and mouthfeel of the dough. Nonuniform dough mixing may also result in a variance in dough can pressure and, in turn, decreased shelf stability, and reduced performance of the eventual food product.
Another problem faced in the production or formulation of a dough is that the viscoelastic properties of the dough change as the dough continues to develop and build viscosity. Minor ingredients or constituents which are placed into the dough in smaller concentrations often have important roles in contributing organoleptic properties to the dough. However, these same constituents are often the most difficult to mix homogeneously within the developing dough.
For example, leavening is critical in refrigerated doughs. The type, quantity, and combination of leavening agent is tailored to each product to give optimum volume, texture, performance and quality.
Typically doughs are prepared by mixing flour, water and dough-developing agents in a first cycle. Minor ingredients, including leavening agents are added to the developing dough in a second cycle. The first cycle is generally intended to provide a peak viscosity and is generally the longest period in dough mixing. The development of a peak viscosity is important to the commercial production of large volumes of doughs and baked goods.
In order to maintain the efficiency of the dough formulation process, the second cycle takes place over a relatively shorter period of time. As a result, minor ingredients such as leaveners, flavors and nutrients may be mixed throughout the dough in a manner which is less than homogenous. As a result, the dough may have uneven concentrations of leavener dispersed throughout the dough matrix.
Problems which may occur when the dough ingredients are not thoroughly mixed include less than adequate proofing and low specific volumes in final baked goods. Commercial doughs are typically packaged, for example, in cans, so the lack of uniform mixing can result in some cans having too much leavening, and therefore an excessively high can pressure, and other cans having too little leavening, and therefore an excessively low can pressure. If the can pressure is too high, the cans might burst, leading to unusable product. If the can pressure is too low, the dough might not be shelf stable and might spoil because there was insufficient pressure to expel all of the oxygen from the can. A non-uniform distribution of ingredients might also result in non-uniform final products or a final product with a lower specific volume.
To insure the even distribution of ingredients within the dough, a manufacturer may have to extend the amount of time the ingredients are mixed. This can result in an increased production time, decreased output capacity and, therefore, decreased manufacturing efficiency. Longer mixing times may also cause the dough to attain a viscosity beyond its peak viscosity, adversely affecting the dough's viscoelastic properties.
Prior disclosures concerning dough formulations include U.S. Pat. No. 3,620,763 to Hans which is directed to a ready-to-bake refrigerator dough which exhibits stability against microbial growth. Hans teaches the addition of polysaccharide hydrophilic film formers to a dough to enhance storage stability. However, Hans does not disclose a method to enhance the uniformity of the ingredients within the dough.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,022,917 to Selenke teaches maintaining the premixed batter at an acidic pH of about 5 or less to inhibit microbial growth by isolating the acidified batter from the alkaline leavening ingredients of the mixture. To isolate the alkaline leavening agent from the acidified batter, the alkaline leavening agent is encapsulated within a water-insoluble coating that is meltable or heat-dispersible. The coating prevents the alkaline leavening agent from reacting with the acidic leavening agent in the batter until the batter is cooked. An acidic environment inhibits bacterial growth and can enhance the activity of some fungistatic agents. Selenke does not teach a method to enhance the uniformity of ingredients within a dough.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,720 to Kent et al. teaches a dough mix including a moist ingredient portion and a dry ingredient portion capable of being combined to produce a complete dough requiring no additional ingredients. The moist ingredient portion includes sugar, shortening and all water or moisture required in the complete dough. The dry ingredient portion includes all flour required in the complete dough and may include leavening agents, egg solids, candy pieces, nuts, dried fruits, coconuts and other dry or moisture-free ingredients. Kent is directed to a method for enhancing the shelf stability of a dough mix, not a method for enhancing the uniformity of ingredients within a dough.
None of these known methods insure that the dough product will have an adequately mixed leavening system. As a result, the products produced by the methods described above may not be uniform. Because it is important that manufacturers of dough products be able to make the products efficiently while producing the best product possible, there is a need for an inexpensive, efficient method of making dough that will result in a uniform product.